Slot machines come in various shapes and forms and these days software developers are coming up with all sorts of variations, bonuses, and extras to add. It is becoming harder and harder to categorize online slots, but it is still easy to recognize a few basic types.Read more...

What many people aren’t aware of though, is the fact that there are several different kinds of slot machines, which can provide very different experiences. Have I piqued your curiosity? Then read on and decide for yourself what kind of slot machines tickle your pickle, and look out for the next time you log in to an online casino like LeoVegas online casino.

Online Slots

While any online gambling can be daunting for a newbie, even seasoned slot users should check out the instructions for each online slot game. Online slots are actually a lot easier to use than physical machines, a lot of them utilize mini-games – a feature unique to online slots. While slot veterans may overlook this detail as flashy and unnecessary, you often need to win the minigame in order to win the jackpot – so it’s really not an aspect of the game you want to forget about.

Types Of Slot Machines

These types of slot machines are the most common ones that all the best online casinos always offer to their punters.

Classic Slots

Classic slots can be popular slot machines that have been around for years and years. They could also be retro slots, which are modern slots which have the same look and feel as older slots, be it with improved game mechanics and graphics. This type of slots usually has 3 reels with 1 pay line. Usually, these are low variance slots.

Video Slots

Modern video usually has five reels and three-row. You will usually find anywhere between 10 and 40 pay lines, meaning you can have that many chances to form a winning combo.

Most slots pay from left to right, but others will pay anywhere, while some do not even use pay lines and require the same symbol anywhere on the reels. You will find various bonus rounds, free spins, mini-games and more. It’s not a surprise that video slots are the most popular type of online slots at the moment, thus you can find them in pretty much any online casino including such well-known brands as Videoslots casino or Bet365.

online slots

Low Variance Slots

Low variance of low volatility slots are slots that give low wins, but with a regular frequency. This means you have a higher chance to win, but the prizes are smaller.

High Variance Slots

High variance or high volatility slots are slots that will give huge wins. However, the chances of winning are a lot smaller when compared to low volatility slots. The higher the risk, the higher the reward.

Jackpot Slots

Many slots have a jackpot; this is the highest sum you can win. Usually, you win by landing a specific symbol or combination of symbols. Sometimes you win by getting a free spins round or other mini-game. A jackpot can be fixed or progressive. If it is fixed you can win a fixed amount. A progressive jackpot will grow every time somebody plays, and can sometimes grow to tens of millions of pounds before somebody wins it.

online slots

Free Online Slots

As I’ve said above, there are more than a few reasons for you to prefer online slots like jack hammer and mega fortune compared to the real-life game in casinos. Another point to add to that list is the fact that most online casinos allow you to play slots for free as much as you like. Obviously, you won’t win any actual money playing that way. But you also won’t lose any while you’re finding your feet, figuring out how to play, or finding the right game to suit your tastes.

In a casino, you’d need to sacrifice some of the cash you’re playing with exploring the different games, whereas online, you can explore and experiment until your heart’s content before you start investing in your skills and playing with cash. What you could also do is to have a look at our casino offers page and pick a casino that will give you a free spins no deposit bonus which you could use to play fun slot machines for free with a chance to win real money.

Slots Software Providers

There are a lot of great software providers out there but in our experience, UK punter’s favourite ones are Netent and WMS slots.

WMS Slots

WMS is known for its classic slots. While this company does not produce very many new titles, as SG Digital focuses more energy on their other brands, some of the most popular slots of all time are still by WMS. We can bet, you have heard of a slot Bruce Lee, Wizard of Oz or Even Monopoly? Yes, they are all made by iconic WMS slots.

Slot terminology

We will include some common terms used by slots players:

  • Return to the player. The percentage of money that the slot machine returns to players in the form of winnings, usually between 95% and 98% for modern online slots.
  • The vertical lines that symbols can fall down on.
  • The horizontal lines of symbols.
  • The lines that can be used to form winning combinations. These can be horizontal or zigzag.
  •  Special symbols that give extra wins, free spins, bonus rounds, and mini-games.
  • Wilds are symbols that can replace any other symbol, thus increasing your chances of forming a winning combo.
  • A multiplier is a feature that will multiply your winnings, for example 2x, 3x, 10x, 20x, etc. This feature usually is activated by landing a certain combination of symbols.
  • One of the most sought after features on any slot. Landing the scatter will often give you 20 free spins, giving you 20 chances of winning. You can keep the sum of the winnings of all your free spins.
  • If you trigger this feature, you will usually get 1 to 5 respins. Often, special symbols such as the wild stay on the reels.
  • if a symbol is sticky, that means it will stay on the reels for a certain number of spins. Usually, this will be a special symbol such as a wild.
  • if a symbol expands to take up a whole reel, this is called a stacked symbol. It can greatly increase your chances of winning.

FAQ About Online Slot Machines

To play online slots create an account at one of the best online casinos. Get your free spins and play them on the game or games the free spins are for. If you want more chances to win, make a deposit to your account. Now you can play slots using real money. Often, you will also get bonus money for a few extra chances. Choose a game, select an amount per spin and click spin. The game will do the rest.
Online slots work using a Random Number Generator. An RNG is a type of software that generates random numbers. Each time you spin, the RNG will select a random number between two given values. Each number is linked to a specific game outcome, for example, small win, big win, jackpot or no win. Certain numbers will also trigger bonus games such as free spins, and other prizes. Here too, everything is governed by chance, meaning the games are honest and not rigged.
Every player has his or her own preferences when it comes to slot machines. Some people like the small but frequent wins of low variance slots, other players love the high rewards of high variance slots. Still, others prefer the chance to win the biggest prizes on progressive jackpot slots. Of course, slots come in various themes, shapes, sizes, and colors. There are slots in any theme you can imagine so choose one that suits your style and taste.
The easiest online slots slots to win are low variance slots. Winning here is easy, though the prizes may be smaller. Low variance slots often award 250 to 500 times the total bet as the highest prize. Of course, there are plenty more prizes to go round. We recommend Starburst, Thunderstruck, Aloha or Gemix as the best low variance slots.
Online slots, by far. Most online slots you will find on the casinos we recommend have a payout percentage of 95% to 98%. That means they only keep 2% to 5% of the money played on them as profit. This is a stark contrast to slots in land-based casinos. They usually have payout percentages of just 60 or 70 percent, leaving the casino with a ridiculous 30% profit. That is why online slots are best.
The slots with the highest payout percentages. If you are looking for slots with the biggest prizes, that is a different question. In that case, we suggest looking for progressive jackpots.
 
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Charlotte Brooks, 33
Digital Marketing and Website Manager
Charlotte joined us after a successful career with Bet365 where she was a Marketing Analyst working with the company’s online betting and casino properties....